Your nervous system is pretty important. This network of nerves and cells is responsible for carrying messages to and from the brain and spinal cord through your whole body. It's a marvelous part of being human. But when something goes wrong with the nervous system, the effects can be catastrophic. For example, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s are all connected with problems in the nervous system. Neuritic atrophy and synaptic loss are two of the problems that contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. When these two things happen, the neurons have trouble communicating with each other. To treat the problem, we need to find a way to regenerate neurites and reconstruct pre- and postsynapses in neurons.
Enter Ashwagandha
Scientists at the Uehara Memorial Foundation set out to explore compounds with the potential to help regenerate and reconstruct neurites and synapses. They published the analysis and results in the British Journal of Pharmacology in April 2005 under the title "Neuritic regeneration and synaptic reconstruction induced by withanolide A." Withanolide A (WL-A) comes from Ashwagandha, which is the common herbal name for roots of the
Withania somnifera plant. The
study concluded that WL-A derived from Ashwagandha "induced significant regeneration of both axons and dendrites, in addition to the reconstruction of pre- and postsynapses in the neurons." They consider this compound, "an important candidate for the therapeutic treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, as it is able to reconstruct neuronal networks.”
An Ayurvedic Adaptogen
Ashwagandha has a long history of
use in Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda, which originated in India more than 3,000 years ago, is one of the world’s oldest medical systems. The name comes from two Sanskrit words:
ayur (life) and
veda (science or knowledge). Ayurvedic medicine teaches that good health depends on balancing mind, body, and spirit. One of the things Ayurveda uses to keep your health in balance is
adaptogenic herbs. All adaptogens produce a response in the body that helps it handle physical, emotional, or environmental stress. They also have a normalizing effect on the body; balancing out processes like the immune system, hormones, etc.
Super-Herb Benefits
Each adaptogen has some unique benefits in addition to helping your body adapt to stress, and
Ashwagandha is no exception. Ashwagandha boosts the immune system to operate at an optimum level, offers anti-inflammatory benefits, and
helps build endurance and stamina. It also stabilizes blood sugar and lowers cholesterol. Ashwagandha reduces anxiety and depression without causing drowsiness. It also, as the study we talked about earlier found, reduces brain-cell degeneration. You can start benefiting from the amazing properties of Ashwagandha when you use
Crucial FOUR's mBreakfast blend. This powder combines the purest, most wholesome forms many superfoods into a formula that's easy to incorporate into your everyday life.
